They will tell you, you can't sleep alone in a strange placeThen they'll tell you, you can't sleep with somebody elseAh, but sooner or later you sleep in your own spaceEither way it's okay you wake up with yourself

"My Life" was the biggest hit off of 52nd Street. It continued the same theme found in "Movin' Out" from The Stranger, the young adult trying to move out and get on with his own life, or the young adult telling a family member to stop preaching to him. He tells someone: "I don't need you to worry for me cause I'm alright, I don't want you to tell me it's time to come home...." And while he still belongs, he tells the listener to "go ahead with your own life, leave me alone." It is a familiar rebellious rock and roll theme, but contained in very non-confrontational pop song. According to this post, it is a reference to Billy's older sister telling him how to lead his life.

Mix magazine has an interesting behind-the-scenes article on the recording of the "My Life," click here. In it, recording engineer Jim Boyer explains that "Billy was not a studio person, so [we] weren’t going to get five takes out of him. Phil [Ramone] said, ‘I want you to record everything—record the effects and whatever you’re doing and make sure we have it on tape, because if that’s the take and we have to fix something, you’ll have a recording of what the effects were. So it was like one, two or three takes and that was it. When Billy said that was the take, he sometimes went home! But he knew when he’d gotten it."

​ The song is a quintessentially Seventies pop tune, very little hint of rock. The Mix article notes that in Phil Ramone's biography, Liberty DeVitto stated about "My Life," “[Phil] wanted me to play a very straight beat, and I bucked him. ‘I ain’t playing that disco bullshit,’ I said. Phil got up, slammed something on the console and scolded me like he was my father. ‘You’ve been in this business for what—12 minutes? And you’re gonna tell me what you’re gonna play? Just get the hell in there and play the way I told you to play.’ I grumbled about it then, but every time I see the Gold record I received for ‘My Life’ on the wall, I mutter, ‘F—in’ guy was right!’” It reached #2 on the Billboard charts.

Got a call from an old friendWe used to be real closeSaid he couldn't go on the American wayClosed the shop, sold the houseBought a ticket to the West CoastNow he gives them a stand-up routine in L.A.

I don't need you to worry for me cause I'm alrightI don't want you to tell me it's time to come homeI don't care what you say anymore, this is my lifeGo ahead with your own life, leave me alone

I never said you had to offer me a second chance(I never said you had to)I never said I was a victim of circumstance(I never said)I still belong, don't get me wrongYou can speak your mindBut not on my time

They will tell you, you can't sleep alone in a strange placeThen they'll tell you, you can't sleep with somebody elseAh, but sooner or later you sleep in your own spaceEither way it's okay you wake up with yourself

I don't need you to worry for me cause I'm alrightI don't want you to tell me it's time to come homeI don't care what you say anymore, this is my lifeGo ahead with your own life, leave me alone

I never said you had to offer me a second chance(I never said you had to)I never said I was a victim of circumstance(Of circumstance)I still belong, don't get me wrongYou can speak your mindBut not on my time

I don't care what you say anymore, this is my lifeGo ahead with your own life, leave me alone

Keep it to yourself, it's my lifeKeep it to yourself, it's my lifeKeep it to yourself, it's my lifeKeep it to yourself, it's my life

At one point, Billy stopped playing "My Life" in concert during the Eighties and early Nineties because he said it didn't translate well to a live concert. But he resurrected it in the mid 1990s, and it strangely sounded like it fit in his live set again. Perhaps because Billy was older and had been through so much that lines like "I don't care what you say anymore, this is my life, Go ahead with your own life, leave me alone" had become more meaningful. See the live version from Billy's 2008 concert at Shea Stadium.

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The song also served as the opening track for the television series, Bosom Buddies, which launched Tom Hanks' career. Decades later, Paul Rudd and Adam Scott did a parody of the opening sequence, with Billy's original version of "My Life." See videos (below).

For a while, it was rumored that the reference to a friend who moved to the West Coast and gave them a stand-up routine in LA was comedian Richard Lewis. But Lewis states this was not true, see this clip. It was actually a reference to Billy's friend Tony Lawrence who did move to Los Angeles to become a comedian.

Videos

This is a nice mix of Billy Joel's "My Life" with the Stone Roses' "Going Down."

Billy sings "My Life" in Tokyo, from 2006.​

In this comedy sketch from Adult Swim in 2014, Billy finally gets a chance to sing "My Life" for Bosom Buddies. Go to 4:35.

Side by side of old and "new" intro to Bosom Buddies (Paul Rudd and Adam Scott) (2014)

Comments

All music and lyrics by Billy Joel, except as noted. This is an unofficial fan site providing information and commentary on Billy Joel's music. It is not affiliated, endorsed, or sponsored by Billy Joel, Sony Music, Columbia Records, Maritime Music, or any Billy Joel organization. Billy Joel's official site is at BillyJoel.com.